Cara Membuat Akte Kelahiran di Arab Saudi

9  langkah membuat akte kelahiran anak di KSA;

1. form appointment dari MOI (kantor catatan sipil)
2. surat keterangan lahir dari RS
3. form 87 ahwal madani*
4. foto kopi iqama ayah
5. foto kopi iqama ibu
6. foto kopi passport ayah
7. foto kopi passport ibu
8. nama anak dalam huruf alfabet
9. tambahan --> surat nikah asli & terjemahan (yg sudah dilegalisir). 

Cara Mengurus Visit Visa Saudi Arabia (Terbaru)

Assalamualaikum,

Mengurus visit visa Saudi Arabia sekarang bisa di lakukan sendiri tanpa agen. Caranya seperti ini:

*Cara Apply Visa Mandiri*

1. Apply dulu undangan di
https://visa.mofa.gov.sa
2. Chambers of Commerce yg point 1 (minta ke sponsor untuk proses COC, biaya 35 SAR)
3. Tunggu sampai keluar statusnya di website MOFA. Kurang lebih 1 pekan status request akan keluar. Apakah ditolah atau diterima. Kalau ditolak, kembali ke point 1.
4. In parralel, siapkan dikument persyaratan keluarga yg mau dibawa/yg mau diundang. Persyaratan ada di https://www.vfstasheel.com
5. Kalau sedah keluar hasil request point 3, ke website berikut untuk apply di Indonesia dan buat appointment:
https://www.vfstasheel.com
6. Semua persyaratan dan procedure ada di website di atas.
7. Setelah proses apply di vfstashel selesai, akan dapat surat undangan, persyaratan yg harus dibawa dan uang yg harus dibayar. Ada biaya tambahan asuransi yg tidak termaktub dalam surat invitation. besarnya variasi. tergantung yg mau diundang. kalau high risk lebih mahal. sekitar 500K per passport.
8. Setelah dokumen masuk atau proses enjaz selesai, biasanya 3 hari kerja visa akan keluar.

*Catatan dan Tips*

1. Dokument akte kelahiran dsb diterjemahkan ke arabic dan di sahkan depkumham dan deplu. Kalau mau mandiri juga mudah insya Allah. Berikut cukup membantu: http://laviedelika.blogspot.com/2018/04/legalisir-akte-lahir-di-kemenkumham.html?m=1
2. Jika terjemahan dikeluarkan oleh KBRI, tidak perlu melalui tips 1 di atas.
3. Passport harus 3 suku kata
4. Baca baca persyartan dan procedure di https://www.vfstasheel.com
5. Saat di kantor vfs, pede abis.. soalnya biasanya ada aja yg nyamperin dan nakut nakutin. Tapi senyum aja. dan hati harus tenang dan nyaman.
6. Penulis melakukan cara di atas di kantor VFS yang di EpicWalk, Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan. Menurut penulis, cukup provessional.
7. Ini harusnya yg paling pertama, Doa, semoga Allah mudahkan.

_Semoga bermanfaat._

Umrah by plane through Taif

Assalamualaikum,

It has been a long time since I wrote. Just wanted to let you know that you may choose Taif as your destination instead of Jeddah airport if you wanted to perform umrah. From Taif airport, you can take taxi cost SAR 200-250 on normal days, while during Ramadhan, the taxi cost my rise a bit to SAR 300-350. The taxi will pass As-Sail Alqabeer miqat. In my case i used van taxi cost 350 SAR to Mekkah. Or, you may also rent a car from Taif.

From Mekkah, there are plenty of taxi waiting down (-2 floor) the clock tower, in case you need to go to airport.

Saudi Arabia Invitation letter Validity for Family Visit Visa

Hello People,

It has been awhile i have not posted anything. I've experienced something unique that i thought worth sharing.

In order to get family visit visa for direct decendent, first you'll need an approved Invitation Letter from Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior (MOI). You can check online how to do it. But, i had difficulty in finding online after getting an approved Invitation Letter, when is its validity ?. I've experienced it my self when applying Visit Visa for my mother-in-law. The validity is 3 months plus 10 days from the date of issued. Bye..bye.. and wish you all the best.

Driving Car from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi

Hi People,

It has been a while since my last post. Now, I feel a necessity to write information that i hope would be useful. If you are "lucky" that you are a citizen of a country that need to obtain visa before coming to UAE, then this article might be useful for you. I was dwelling around when applying this visa, I hope it does not happen to you. This is because that is not much information on internet.

I posted an article how to apply visa for Dubai in here. I thought it would the same process and website for Abu Dhabi. But, then I could not find Al-Gouifat Port as the arrival port. Al-Gouifat Port is the land border between Saudi Arabia and UAE. I chat with an UAE's MOI agent (you can find how in here), who tells me that for Abu Dhabi you need to use this website. If you are also planning to apply visa for your family, then you need to apply for your visa first, as your approved visa need to be attached on your family visa application. Don't apply your family visa along with your application. I'm not going to tell you step-by-step process, as it is really straight forward form, but I'll tell you few issues that I had and how to solve it in the process.

1. Login to your account, scroll down until you see "Browse Smart Service" then choose Visa - GCC - Resident of GCC or Resident of GCC (Single Visa). It does not matter whether you choose Resident of GCC or Resident of GCC (Single Visa). However, once your visa approved, I'd prefer to choose "Resident of GCC" to apply for family visa, as you can apply and pay all processes in one time shot. Attached your passport, Iqama, Work Certificate, and Photo.
2. Photo has to be really specific size and resolution, as requested on the website. I used, Windows 10 default Photo software to edit and Crop. On the top right corner of software, choose Edit  - Crop and Rotate - Aspect Ratio - Square, then save. Sizing the photo using Paint, then Resize. If I remember correctly the maximum resolution accepted by the website is 1200x1200. It happened to me that despite the photo seems to be already sized according to website requirements, but still I received error message. I solved it by using the Website editing software. After uploading the photo, then crop the photo by clicking on Edit button (the one with pen symbol), crop the image, save then download the photo to your PC, then re-upload.
3. After your visa approved, then you can apply for the family by attaching your approved visa on their applications. I got mine within 30 hours and my family within 24 hour.
4. It does appear disclaimer when you choose arrival port as yo can see on below picture.

Before I conclude, I just wanted to tell you that I went through Kharj Road all the way to Abu Dhabi. There was no issue at all, despite some concerns of small road, etc. But the road in my opinion is quite good with two lanes (two lane for Going, space and Two lane for return). With this road, i could save 100km rather than using Hasa road.

But, on the way back from Abu Dhabi, if you wanted to use the Kharj road, then you'll have to go left to take U-turn after seeing Fuel Station on your right (after passing Saudi immigration). This is a bit tricky, as there is no sign at all. The U-turn is small, and it's actually broken barrier. You'll see a lot of trucks passing this U-turn. The save way is keep your Google Map ready after Saudi Immigration if you don't want to miss this U-Turn. In case you missed, My friend told me that the next U-turn to Kharj is few kilometers away.

If I can recommend, don't drive at night time on Saudi Side, as it has no lights at all and you'll have to be cautious of our friends, the "CAMEL" passing the road. On Abu Dhabi side, it's just fine to drive at night as it has road lights.

Wish you an enjoyable trip ..

Expression.Error: The column 'xxxxxxxx' of the table wasn't found

Hello Everyone,

Yes, I'm on fire. Two posts in one day. :)

I'm not a Power Bi expert, that's why i don't want you to be like me, got lost for hours because of the error when trying to edit my query, I got the error message "Expression.Error: The column 'bla..bla..bla' of the table wasn't found" . This might be because you have renamed the header of your table, and because of that, power bi does not recognize it. Well, that was in my case :). Even after changing back the table header to the old name, still Power Bi did not like it. How to solve ?

Well, not exactly a great savvy high level programming way :).. In my case, i just wanted to redo..

1. Rename the file source's table header the way you wanted it. So that you don't need to rename it on Power Bi.
2. Make a new Power Bi file by using the source of the file that you have changed. (you just wanted to get the correct format of script)
3. Open Data -> Edit Queries -> Advanced Editor
4. Copy all line on  #"Changed Type"
5. Open the Error Power Bi file, on Advanced Editor, replace the #"Changed Type" line with the one that you have copied.
6. Replace "Renamed Columns" under "in" with "Changed Type" 

That makes it back to original one... Don't make anymore error :)

Incremantal Data Load Google Sheets

Hello Everyone !!!

Ya, you might think that this blog has lost focus. It's actually not. I found how to do the incremental data load using google sheets when i was in Saudi Arabia. So, it's still relevant :).. After dwelling around for hours on internet, i found the answer. This is how..

First of all, what is incremental data load ? This is one of examples. In case you have a list of employee and you need to record their attendance by using google sheets. This may look like this;

Okay, that's easy. Just need to put it down on the bottom of the last sheet. But, what if for some reasons, you already have the template on another google sheets, and the data need to be merged with above sheets, plus you want it to be placed on the bottom of the above sheet. Got it ?

1. On google sheets, go to Tools -> Script Editor
2. On Script Editor, paste below script:

function myFunction() {var ss = SpreadsheetApp.openById('XXXXXXX'); //replace with source ID
 var source = ss.getSheetByName('Sheet1'); //replace with source Sheet tab name
 var sourceRange = source.getRange('A2:O44'); //assign the range you want to copy
 var data = sourceRange.getValues();

 var tss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet('XXXXXX'); //replace with destination ID or keep it empty if you are running this script on destination google sheets.
 var ts = tss.getSheetByName('Sheet2'); //replace with destination Sheet tab name
 ts.getRange(ts.getLastRow()+1, 1, data.length, data[0].length).setValues(data);
 
}

3. Change the highlated yellow above with your Google sheets source and destination sheets.
4. Good Luck.. :)

How to apply UAE Visa online for GCC Resident

Hello,

I've just applied for UAE Visa, and it took awhile for me to figure it out how exactly to fill in all the form online. All info that i found on internet, do not tell how exactly to fill the form, and all of them based on the old form.

Actually, you can chat online directly to one of UAE Ministry of Interior agent 24/7 in this page, if you need something to clarify. I got my visa within 24 hour and for my family within 48 hour. The bottom line is, you need to apply for your visa first. Once your visa approved, then you can apply for your family by attaching your approved visa, and create individual application for every single one of them.

This is how you should fill the form;

1. Create account on this web 
2. Once your account created, click GCC Resident to create new application form.
3. For your visa application, choose "Establishment" as  "Sponsor Type in GCC Country". Type in your company as your sponsor. 
4. Above questions, are the one that actually confused me. The rest of the questions in this first page are straight forward.
5. If you've finished fill all info on the first page, click NEXT to continue.
6. In the second page, you will be asked your address in UAE. In my case, i put my hotel. Btw, the email that you put in this page will be used to receive the approved visa. 
7. Finished with second page, continue to the next page where you will be asked to attach document. You need to attach the Photo, letter from your company stating that you are the employee, passport and iqama. You need to reduce the size of your scanned document. I used software "paint" in windows to reduce the size of the document, and save it as JPEG. It has to be less than 100kB.
8. Once all document attached, continue to next page to pay.

To apply for your family;

1. Login to your account that you created.
2. If you have five family member, then you need to create and repeat all of this processes for every single one of them.
3. Click GCC Resident to create new application
4. Under "Sponsor Type in GCC Country" choose "GCC Resident". and fill your info in it, because you are the sponsor of your family.
5. The rest of the process are the same as yours.
6. On the attach page, attach the photo, your approved visa, your pasport, their iqama, and their passport.

Good luck.

How to turn wired printer to wireless

Assalamu'alaikum,

Hello Bapak/Ibu,

Saya hari ini senang sekali, karena berhasil membuat printer saya yang biasanya harus konek ke laptop dengan kabel, menjadi printer yang wireless. Hehehe.. saya tau, Bapak/Ibu, pasti bertanya. kok jadi pakar IT sekarang ? ya, saya anggap itu menjadi bagian hidup di Saudi Arabia. You have to be all.. :)

In my case, i use print server in order to turn my wired printer into wireless. I bought a cheap print server from ebay. It costed me USD 20 (including shipment). By the way, i use zain 4G router (huawei Model B315s-22).

Okay, this is what you need to do;

1. Connect printer to printer server by using USB to USB b-type (included in the package), then by using Ethernet cable, connect print server to router. Power up all.
2. Install software launch network printer wizard (included in the CD package). Then by using the wizard, find your printer. In my case, it is HP LaserJet CP1025. 
3. I was able to print flawlessly. But then, the problem arose. The connection is unstable. It keep losses connection. :(

After dwelling around internet, i found this link that really helps. There is suggestion to connect the print server by assigning static IP address to the print server. This is what should you do;

1. Connect directly print server to your laptop by using ethernet cable.
2. Open your internet browser, then type: 169.254.10.10 to open Network Print Server management web page.
3. On Network Print Server management web page, click Network, then change DHCP setting from Enable to Disable, in order to change the IP address of print server to fixed.
4. Assign an IP address to your print server. In my case, Zain 4G router (Huawei B31s-22) ranging from 192.168.1.100 to 200. Just chose one of them.
5. Click Submit. This will restart your print server.
6. Connect your print server to printer, then print server to router. 
7. Run the add printer wizard on windows. Chose connect to local printer, TCP/IP Port. You can find details in this link. 
8. Then, you should be able to connect to your printer.   

How to unlock mobily 4G LTE router Model QDC

Hello,

Untuk Bapak/Ibu sekalian, mohon maaf, karena tulisan ini akan saya tulis dalam bahasa Inggris. Biar banyak manfaatnya.

Hello,

I intentionally write this post in English, so that more people will gain benefit. This is how to unlock mobily 4G LTE router model QDC. I consider this to be part of living in Saudi Arabia :)

Actually I copied the steps in this blog. I found the file that i downloaded was saved in secured place, without "strange" pop up windows. You can download the files required in this link. I will not mention the steps in detail, but i would just mention trick for smoother unlock.

1. Downgrade the firmware in step-wisely. The unlock is available for version 1.02.32. If your firmware happened to be in the version higher than 1.02.33, i.e 1.02.41 then downgrade it to 1.02.33 (mr7015al-zz_r0b_FW_1.02.33(20120618)), then to 1.02.32  by using (mr7015al-zz_r0b_FWN_1.02.32(20120330) .  
2. Once your firmware in 1.02.32, then flash the LTE module.
3. There are some reports that their router keep updating automatically to 1.02.41. I think they forgot to change the auto firmware info url to 0.0.0.0 (actually it is there, written in tagalog..:)).
   
   
4. Setup the APN, then you should be able to connect.

------- update 29 Feb 2016

After unlocking the router, my router keeps disconnected when idle. To connect it, i had to restart the router. It drove me crazy..!!! 

After a month dwelling around internet, and hundred times of testing, i finally solve it. Alhamdulillah.. 

Mine was solved by upgrading the LTE module to the latest version. So, basically you don't have to flash the LTE module when unlocking :)..

If you already flashed the LTE module when unlocking, and changed the url to 0.0.0.0 you just need to change it back to the default url before unlocking (see above picture for default url), then trigger LTE module update.

You can also update the firmware to 1.02.33, but you can't update to the latest firmware, because it's going to lock your router back to mobily. 

Don't forget to switch the url back to 0.0.0.0, if you don't want the router to update the firmware automatically and lock you back to mobily.

Kirim shipment murah dengan Saudi Post

Hello...Hello...!!!
Assalamu'alaikum,

Long time not see..!!!
Dah lama ya ga ketemu..!!! Hari ni saya mau menulis. Alasannya, karena saya hari ini baru saja mendapatkan parcel yang saya tunggu2 dari Saudi Post.. Saya mau memberikan tips.. kepada Bapak2/Ibu2 sekalian, biar ga dongkol kayak saya.. :(.

Oke.. gini ya.. Kadang ntah kenapa, saat berada di Saudi, orang2 jadi hobi banget untuk belanja online.. Mungkin mrk ga ada kerjaan.. atau mungkin utk mengisi kekosongan waktu. Nah, salah satu kendala belanja online adalah mahalnya ongkos kirim. Salah satu solusinya adalah dengan menggunakan jasa saudi post. Mereka punya tarif kadang2 agak miring, semiring kalo kita nurun bukit.

Nah, berbeda dengan courier premium, yang kadang bisa dengan alamat seadanya, barang yang kita beli bisa nyampe, Saudi post agak ketat utk masalah alamat ini. Jika alamat kita ternyata tidak sesuai dengan format national address, maka barang harus di ambil ke kantor pusat mereka.

Oke, kalau mau menulis alamat di Saudi, harus mengikuti format berikut;

1. Search dulu rumah Bapak/Ibu.. dengan melihat di map saudi post ini.
2. Dari link itu, pilih rumah Bapak/Ibu meng-klik nomor bangunan rumah Bapak/Ibu.. Format National address punya penampakan seperti ini:
   
3. Nah, tulis format alamat Bapak persis sama seperti itu.

Trus, bagaimana jika seandainya shipment bapak gak sampe, ntah nyangkut dimana. Bapak bisa mencoba hal berikut;

1. Telpon call center saudi post di 920005700, tanya shipment dimana. 

2. Jika, call center rada2 bingung, bapak bisa coba utk langsung ke kantor post pusatnya. Utk di Riyadh, bertempat di daerah Batha. Nanti bisa langsung ke bagian pengambilan yg berada di basement, atau kalo mrk bingung, bisa cb di bagian return di gate 4. Di situ sy ketemukan barang saya :)